Railroad-switch.



A. G. GONES.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLIGATION FILED 00115. 1909.

atented Mar. 29, i910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 EQU Op;

mnoomo nu@ x Specification of Letters Eatent.

STETCEI.

Appieation iled october 15, 99. Serial No. 522.8%.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it ltnown that Amman G. Genus, ar citizen oi the United States, residing at l-hinnibal, in the county ot Marion and State ot' Missouri, have invented new and use't'ul improvements in lailroad- Switches, et' which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to that class ot railroad switches which are set or actuated by means of mechanism carried by a train approaching from either direction and it has among its objects to construct a switch which may be operated with ease and with positive certainty to move the switch points to the desired position by mechanism connected with a train approaching from the siding or in either direction on the main line.

A further object of tle. invention is to provide means whereby the switch points shall. be positively prevented from umping or shitting their position while a train is passing from the main line to the siding or vice versa.

Still further objects ot.' the invention are to simplify and improve the general construction and operation et this class of devices.

'With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature ot the invention is better understood the same consiss in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination otl parts which will be hereinafter iiully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred Yterm of the invention; it being however understood thatr no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the invention, may

fe resorted to when desired.

In the drawings: Figure l is a plan view showing portions of a railway track and a siding equipped with the improved switch. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken through one of the switch signal stands and showing part of the operating' mechanism. Fig. I?) is a sectional elevation of one of the switch signal stands, the casing having been broken away. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view ot one of the rock shafts which are actuated by passing trains te operate the switch mechanism. Fig. 5 a side eleva tion showing a portion otA an engine equipped with switch actuating mechanism. l? ig. (i is a sectional elevation a portion of a railroad car or caboose equipped `-with switch actuating mechanism. 'T is a plan view ot a train carried rock shaiit having the switch actuating mechanism. S is a sectional elevation of the mechanism tor preventing the switch points from jumping. Fig. t) is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 8.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoter by like characters of reference.

Referring to the drawings .-r `ind designate respectively the outer and the inner main line rails with reterencc to the siding; li and B" are the outer and inner siding rails with reference to the main line; C-* represent the switch points, the switch signal stands, E, the 'trog at the peint where the inner siding rails cross the inner main line rail; and F-F are the guard rails. rllhesc parts are constructed and L ttl' ranged in the usual or in any well known and approved nunmcr.r the switch points be ing pivotally mounted so that. they may )e moved simultaneously by means of a cross bar G withv which both switch points are connected to open or to close the siding for the passage of trains approa 'liing upon the main line.

Supported for oscillation in suitable bearings, transversely et the main line rails and at a suitable distance from the switch, is a r el; shaft- 10 having arms 1l and il that extend in opposite directions troni said rock shaft, said arms being arranged in such relative position with reference to the roclt sl* that by the oscillation et the latter, one et said arms will be raised while the other is depressed, the construction and arrai'igement oi: said rock shaiit and arms being best seen by reference to Fig. -t of the draw ings while in Fig. l the arms are indicated in dotted lines. similar rock shaft l2 carrying oppositely extending arms lS- and "3 is arranged transversely et the siding rails at a suitable distance from the switch. Upon that portion et the main line which appr aches the switch are provided bearings for two roel; shafts lll and i5 dis ioscd transversely beneath the main line rails and in Yaxial alinement with each other, said recl shafts being equipped with arms lt and 1T. both extendingin the saine direction as will be clearly seen by reference t0 Fig. 1 where said arms have been shown as extending in the direction of the switch.

Suitably mounted upon the cross ties or sleepers of the track are casings or housings i H, one for each of the arms extending from the several rock shafts, said housings being provided with slots 1S wherein levers 19 are pivotally mounted; said levers being provided adjacent to their free ends with antifriction members such as wheels or rollers 20 that rest upon the upper sides or faces of the several arms 11-11, 1.3-13, 1G and 17 for the purpose of actuating the latter to oscillate the rock shafts when said wheel carrying levers are themselves actuated by mechanism carried by t-rains passing over the line as will be hereinafter described.

The switch signal stands D-l) are supported adjacent to opposite sides of the track in proximity to the ends of the bar G whereby the switch points C-C are connected. Each of the switch stands is provided with bearings for a vertically disposed shaft 21 carrjf'ing signals and 23, the latter being preferably a lamp of the construction usually employed in this class of devices. The switch stands constitute housings within which the operating' mech. anism is arranged. Each of the shafts 21 carries a spur wheel 24 and a crank 25.

Each of the rock shafts 10 and 12 is equipped with a crank 26 which is connected by a link 27 with a collar 2S upon a rod 29 mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in suitable supports as best seen at 30 in Fig. 1. The rods 9,9 are guided to the switch stands at opposite sides of the track, and each is pivotally connected with a rack bar 31 meshing with the outer side of the spur wheel 9A. ln like manner the rock shafts 14s and 15 are provided with cranks 32 connected by links 33 with collars 3st upon suitably supported and Vguided sliding` rods 35 which are guided to the switch stands at opposite sides of the track, each being pivotally connected vith a rack bar SG, said rack bars meshing with the inner sides of the spur wheels Q41.

Pivotally supported upon or adjacent to the outer side of one of the main line rails A, is a lever 37 having slot 3S engagingl a stud 89 whereby the movement of said lever is limited. Supported for movement in an approximately horizontal plane cent to the outer side of the rail fr is a bell crank L one arm of which et() is pivotally connected with the connecting bar G, while the other arm 41 of said bell crank is connected by means of a link l2 with a pivotally supported cam shaped disk d3 which serves as a support for the lever 37, the latter being provided with an arcuate recess or cavity t upon its under side which rides upon the cam L13. rfhe lever 3.7 is normally supported in a plane very slightly above the upper face of the head of the rail A so as to lie in the path of the treads of the wheels of passing` rolling stock.

rlhe relative positions of the arms 11H11@ 18-13, 16 and 17 are indicated by the words cup and down 7 in Fig. 1 of the drawings where the switch points or tongues C@ have been shown in position to leave the siding open to trains approaching' the main line.

ln the event that an approaching train should desire to continue on the main line under these conditions, it would be neces sary to depress the arm 17 connected with the rock shaft 15. This being done the movement of the rod 35 connected with said rock shaft by the intermediate mechanism hereinbefore described will serve to oscillate the shaft 21 of the switch stand to which said rod is guided, and the rod 29 will thereby e moved in a direction opposite to that of the rod 35, thereby rocking .the shaft 10 and shifting the relative Aositions of the arms 11 and 11. At the same time the crank 25 of the shaft Q1 will transmit a sliding movement to the connecting bar G whereby the position of the switch points is shifted to open the main line, and motion will at the same time be transmitted to the shaft 21 of the offset switch stand 9 which` being oscillated will through the medium of the spur wheel Qt and racks 36 and 31 actuate the sliding rods 30 and 35 whereby the motion is transmitted to the rock shafts 19 and 14 to reverse the relative positions of the arms 13-13 and 16 extending from said rock shafts.

E or the purpose of actuating the arms extending from the several rock shafts mechanism is provided to be carried by passing trains, said mechanism including a suitably supported rock shaft t having arms radiatingtherefrom, said arms being' suitably spaced apart and which carry anti-friction members such as rollers 47 adjacent to their free ends; the relative arrangement being such that by properly setting or adjusting the rock shaft e5 any one of the arms 11-11, 13-13, 16 and 17 may be depressed by the action thereof. One of these rock shafts is preferably mounted upon the engine, said rock shaft being provided with an arm or lever 118 connected at its free end with an operating rod 49 leading to the cab; another of these rock shafts similarly equipped is preferably carried by the last car of each train or by the Caboose, said rock shaft being equipped with a slotted arm or lever 50 which may be actuated to oscillate the rock shaft by means of a suitable hand lever 51. lt is obvious that the arms lo extending from each rock shaft must be relatively so arranged that when one is depressed to an engagingposition the other will be elevated and is also pre# ferred to so arrange the said arms that by l having slots in their upper sides, levers supproper adjustment of the rock shaft both of said arms may be supported in a nonengaging position as will be seen by reference to Fig. 5.

lt will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed that by the simple mechanism herein described, the switch may be actuated and properly set by the mechanism upon the engine of a train approaching the switch from either direction upon the main line or upon the siding and it will further be seen that by properly manipulating the actuating mechanism conm nected with the last car or the caboose of the train, the switch may be reset so as to leave it in the condition in which it was found by the approaching train. It will also be seen that as the rolling stock passes the switch points, the lever 87 will be engaged by the treads of the wheels, thus holding the cam 43, the bell crank L and the bar G connecting the switch tongues securely in position while the switch is being passed by the rolling stock, and thereby preventing any expense that might result from the accidental jumping and displacement. of the switch points.

Having thus described the invent-ion, what is claimed is.-

1. ln a device of the character described, the combination with the main line rails, the siding rails, and the pivotally supported switch tongues, of a connecting' bar, vertically disposed rock shafts adjacent to the sides of the track in proximity 'to the ends of the connecting bar, cranks upon said rock shafts, links connecting said cranks with the ends of the connectingl bar, spur wheels upon the rock shafts, slidably supported racks engaging said spur wheels, rock shafts supported transversely of the track and having radially extending arms arranged in the path of train carried actuating mechanism, housings supported adjacent to and inclosing the radially extending arms, said housings 1 ported pivotally in the housings and having antrfriction members engaging the arms eX- tending radially from the rock shafts, said anti-friction members being adapted to eX- tend through slots in the housings, and means for transn'iitting motion from said rock shafts to the slidably supported rack bar.

2. ln a switch operating mechanism of the character described, rock shafts supported transversely of the track, means for transmitting motion between said rock shafts and the switch tongues, arms extending radially from the rock shafts, slotted housings supported adjacent to and inclosing said arms, levers supported pivotally in the housings and having wheels engaging the radially eX- tending arms and adapted to proj ect through the slots in the housings, and actuating mechanism carried by a train and including a rock shaft having arms carrying anti-friction rollers adapted to engage the wheels carried by the levers supported in the housings, and means for oscillating said rock shaft.

3. fn a device of the character described, pivotally supported switch points, a cross bar connecting the same, train actuated shifting mechanism connected with said cross bar, a main line rail, a lever fulcrumed upon the latter in the path of the wheel treads of passing rolling stock and having an arcuate recess in its underside, a pivotally supported cam engaging the arcuate recess and supporting said lever, a bell crank supported for movement in a horizontal plane and having one arm connected with the connecting bar of the switch tongues, and a link connecting the other arm of the bell crank with the lever supporting cam.

ln testimony whereof aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED G. GONES. l'l'litnesses Bunnymen Hniunoon, L. E. Terr. 

